The 2009 Draft has come and gone for the Buffalo Sabres and Regier & Co. made one thing abundantly clear ... they want to get bigger and they want to get tougher. The Sabres didn't pick a single player under 6 ft. tall and many of them are known to tough, physical players who aren't afraid to lose their gloves when need be. Darcy Regier and head of amateur scouting Kevin Devine both said that they had been looking to follow last year's first round trend of picking the best player with size and strength.

It was with that in mind that the Sabres selected winger Zack Kassian with their first overall pick. The scouting report on Kassian said that he was the toughest man in the draft this year. He has spent the last two seasons playing with the Peterborough Petes of the OHL. Last year, he had 63 points in 61 games (plus 2 points in 4 playoff games) and was also in the top 20 in penalty minutes.

According to NHL Central Scouting's Chris Edwards, "Kassian is one of the toughest guys in the OHL and probably the entire draft. Last season as an under-ager there were overage guys in the league who would not take him on. He has not fought much this season (because) he has not had to. He is at his best when he is playing physical and tough along the boards. He protects the puck very well and fights through checks. He has very good play-making and puck-handling abilities."

With their first pick in the 2009 Draft, the Buffalo Sabres drafted Zack Kassian, an 18-year-old forward from LaSalle, Ontario. I think I speak for my colleagues here at DGWUSports when I say this comes as a breath of fresh air after years of drafting players who are closer to Daniel Briere than Jay McKee. The initial word coming out about Kassian is that he was the best 'tough guy' in the draft, which is music to my ears (if I may use back-to-back cliches).

We'll try to bring you more about Kassian and his fellow draftees in the days to come...

A couple of years ago I would have said something like "See! That's what amazing fans we are! We support our team through thick and thin!" However, you are now more likely to hear something like this from me: "STOP BUYING TICKETS!!!! The front office keeps making terrible decisions and enjoys watching the fans take it in the ass!"

I'm not sure what's going on here. I mean, yes, I probably will make it home for at least one game (mostly for the tailgating), but there is no way in hell I'm buying season tickets for a team that has A FUCKIN' NINE YEAR PLAYOFF DROUGHT! DAMNIT! (The only people off the hook are two dear friends, who just moved back to Buffalo after several years in the city. I can definitely understand that)

But me personally, I would rather watch another well-known Buffalo Bill, in person, for 3 hours every Sunday, than support non-stop mediocrity!

I'd fuck me.

If you know the Scizz personally, then you know I have made a vow to purchase absolutely zero Buffalo Bills merchandise of any kind until they make the playoffs. I ask you to please join me in this pledge. Stop worrying about the team moving to Toronto just because their merchandise isn't selling... Toronto folk aren't going to buy it either.

Sorry folks, but this is going to be one of those "nothing to do with Buffalo" posts. I just had to throw this up because I think it is absolutely amazing.

For those of you who don't check out any sports websites/blogs on a daily basis, you may have missed highlights from the first episode of "Joe Buck Live" on HBO. Who the fuck could make you care about watching highlights from a live show from Captain Douchebag himself, Joe Buck, you ask?

No, this doesn't mean they're having a kegger at HSBC Arena. Well, maybe they are. Who knows what happens in there during the off-season...

...oh, right. There IS a team that lifts trophies in that building. Just not the one we wish it were.

But back to my main point. The Sabres will be holding a NHL Draft Party at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery on Friday, June 26th from 3pm to 10pm. The event is free and there will be food, drinks and players available for ridicule, I mean, signatures.

There isn't much going on these days at One Bills Drive, so here is a lovely Sabres update for everybody. Most of the news is from the last two weeks, so bare with me. If you have a problem with that, please contact our complaints department.

(Note: Our complaints department is a picture of me grabbing my junk and giving the finger.)

The Scizzfeat. The ScizzetteMy apologies for no High Character Friday post last week. I was waiting on possible entries from several people, and... well... nobody sent me anything. But this week I make up for it with a very special guest! My better half, the Scizzette!

The AP has reported that the Buffalo Bills have cut five players after the conclusion of their first mandatory minicamp.Those included on the list were defensive linemen John Faletoese (would be cooler if it was fellatio) and Gerald Washington, defensive back Kyle Ward, offensive lineman Joel Bell, and most surprisingly, LB Blake Costanzo.

Costanzo played in all 16 games last year and was considered by many to be a special teams standout. He also spent most of 2007 on the practice squad, and appeared in three games.

You read that right, folks! Buffalo's 1st round draft pick, Eric Wood, will be in NYC this Saturday to meet you. And no, it is not DGWUS pal and Wood look-a-like Mike Ludders. It is actually E-Wood himself!

The New York City Bills Backers have organized this event through McFadden's on 42nd St and 2nd Ave in Manhattan. They will be throwing a Buffalo appreciation blast all day and night, starting at 11 am with drink specials! Mr. Wood will be there between 5-7 to hopefully pound shots of Jager and threaten Jets fans with us! You can read the whole announcement here.

Come join Eric Wood, DGWUS contributor The Scizz, and NYCBBB for some wild times! And dear Lord, I hope Ludders shows up for the ultimate arm-wrestling showdown...

Hey Buffalo fans! We are really sorry for the lack of posts over the past week.

No really, we are.

We had some technical issues with the site. Then over the past couple of days, all three of us have been extremely busy with our real world jobs. However, stayed tuned for an update a little later tonight, as well as some posts from yours truly tomorrow, and a BRAND NEW High Character Friday from the Scizzette.